Former Florida coach Urban Meyer has landed what appears to be the perfect job, one that will give him plenty of face time with the family and allow him to stay connected to the game he loves — college football.
"I was fortunate to try something over national championship week (working with ESPN)," Meyer said Monday. "Shelley and I spent a lot of time talking about it, a lot of time. I don't sit around very well, and I want to stay around college football. I was really hoping something like this would materialize after the national championship game."
It materialized Monday with an announcement from ESPN that Meyer will be a college football game and studio analyst for the network. He starts work right away, debuting in his new job Wednesday for ESPNU's 10-hour National Signing Day Special.
ESPN said Meyer will work a weekly regular-season game (specific assignments to be determined) and select bowl games. He will also provide studio analysis throughout the year on ESPN’s daily College Football Live program, NFL Draft, spring games and bowl games, including during the network’s on-site BCS coverage.
In addition, Meyer will contribute to ESPN’s Saturday morning College GameDay show, making a weekly appearance from his game site.
Meyer basically had a tryout with the network during bowl season and at the BCS Championship Game in Glendale, Ariz., that led to Monday's announcement.
"I got invited to Bristol, Conn., over the holidays with my family," Meyer said. "I hoped I would like it. I wanted to stay around college football. This has been my life for as long as I can remember. I not only liked it, I loved it. They're great people and it's an opportunity to stay around the game."
Meyer said the job allows him to stay involved in football without having to sacrifice significant time with his family.
"In the offseason, it's going to be minimal," he said. "During the season, it will be weekends, Friday and Saturday. It's a lot different than what I've been used to the past 25 years. I'm excited to do it.
"I've had conversations with the family, and they're fired up, they're excited. I'm still going to be able to spend as much time (with the family) as I would have hoped."
Meyer said there will be no conflict between his broadcasting career and the work (still to be determined) he will be doing in the UF athletic department, where he still has an office.
"I'm going to work directly with (athletic director) Jeremy Foley in the (UF) Foundation and help in that aspect," Meyer said. "That has not been finalized yet. It will not have an impact on what I do with ESPN."
Meyer said in his job as analyst, he will not criticize coaches or players, but that he will offer strong opinions (even on Florida) when they are warranted.
"It's not my job to be critical. My job is to analyze college football," he said. "I'm an analyst. I don't criticize. If I have a strong opinion one way or the other, I'm certainly going to do that."
When asked if he would feel awkward commenting on the Gators, Meyer said, "I'm very respectful of Florida and very respectful of the game. I won't know that until it happens. I think we have a great coach in Will Muschamp and Florida is a great program. Plus, I'm a Florida fan, and I'm not going to be ashamed of that."
ESPN would not reveal any details about Meyer's contract. Norby Williamson, the network's executive vice president of programing, said he expects Meyer to be at ESPN "for a long time."
"We're committed to Urban and he's committed to us," Williamson said.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Florida takes first-round lead in JU Invitational
The University of Florida has taken the first-round lead in the Jacksonville University Invitational Monday, at the TPC Sawgrass Players Stadium Course.
The Gators' depth was evident as none of their five starters shot higher than 74. Bank Vongvanij is the individual tournament leader after a 3-under-par 69 and teammate Phillip Choi's 1-under 71 is one of only two other under-par scores in the first round.
Tyler McCumber, a Nease graduate, shot 73 for the Gators, matching teammate Andres Echavarria. As a team, UF is 2-under, with a seven-shot lead over Jacksonville State.
The University of North Florida, Liberty and Florida Gulf Coast are tied for third at 12-over. UNF was led by a 73 by Kevin Alwyin.
The host Dolphins are tied for 11th in the 15-team field with James Madison. Defending champion Wake Forest is tied for eighth.
Jacob Pastor of Charleson Southern eagled the par-5 second hole and then holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the par-4 fourth hole. However, he finished with a 75.
The final round will be Tuesday.
The Gators' depth was evident as none of their five starters shot higher than 74. Bank Vongvanij is the individual tournament leader after a 3-under-par 69 and teammate Phillip Choi's 1-under 71 is one of only two other under-par scores in the first round.
Tyler McCumber, a Nease graduate, shot 73 for the Gators, matching teammate Andres Echavarria. As a team, UF is 2-under, with a seven-shot lead over Jacksonville State.
The University of North Florida, Liberty and Florida Gulf Coast are tied for third at 12-over. UNF was led by a 73 by Kevin Alwyin.
The host Dolphins are tied for 11th in the 15-team field with James Madison. Defending champion Wake Forest is tied for eighth.
Jacob Pastor of Charleson Southern eagled the par-5 second hole and then holed out from the fairway for an eagle on the par-4 fourth hole. However, he finished with a 75.
The final round will be Tuesday.
Florida Gators' Jaterra Bonds named SEC Women's Basketball Freshman of the Week
For her performances in a pair of SEC victories for the Florida Gators women's basketball team, Jaterra Bonds has been named the SEC Women's Basketball Freshman of the Week, the league office announced today.
Although Bonds is a 5-foot-7 point guard, she was Florida's leading rebounder last week, pulling down 14 during the two games when the Gators won consecutive league contests for the first time this year.
Bonds also scored a team-high 12 points in a win over Alabama that helped Florida halt its four-game losing streak.
She had a career-high eight rebounds against Alabama and also had her first collegiate blocked shot.
Although Bonds is a 5-foot-7 point guard, she was Florida's leading rebounder last week, pulling down 14 during the two games when the Gators won consecutive league contests for the first time this year.
Bonds also scored a team-high 12 points in a win over Alabama that helped Florida halt its four-game losing streak.
She had a career-high eight rebounds against Alabama and also had her first collegiate blocked shot.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Commodores head to Gainesville for East tilt
Two teams coming off weekend losses look to get back on track in a virtual six-team race for the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division lead as Vanderbilt and Florida meet up for the first time this season on Tuesday night in Gainesville.
The Commodores fell to 3-3 in the SEC after an 89-78 loss to Arkansas on Saturday night, the team’s first home loss of the season. The Gators rallied from an early deficit against Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon but could not pull out a victory that would have given them a full one-game lead over the rest of the division, falling instead to 5-2 in the conference with a 71-64 loss in Starkville. The entire Eastern Division currently sits within two games of each other in the standings.
Florida has two speedy guards in junior Erving Walker and sophomore Kenny Boynton who have frustrated SEC defenses all January. Walker and Boynton average a combined 27.4 points per game and each scored 24 in the Gators’ last win, a 104-91 overtime thriller in Athens against Georgia last Tuesday.
The Commodores fell to 3-3 in the SEC after an 89-78 loss to Arkansas on Saturday night, the team’s first home loss of the season. The Gators rallied from an early deficit against Mississippi State on Saturday afternoon but could not pull out a victory that would have given them a full one-game lead over the rest of the division, falling instead to 5-2 in the conference with a 71-64 loss in Starkville. The entire Eastern Division currently sits within two games of each other in the standings.
Florida has two speedy guards in junior Erving Walker and sophomore Kenny Boynton who have frustrated SEC defenses all January. Walker and Boynton average a combined 27.4 points per game and each scored 24 in the Gators’ last win, a 104-91 overtime thriller in Athens against Georgia last Tuesday.
Gators Set to Open Spring Season at JU Invitational
Senior Bank Vongvanij (Bradenton, Fla.) and the No. 1 University of Florida Men’s Golf team (Golfstat) look to kick off their spring season on Monday as they travel to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. for the JU Invitational. The two-day tournament takes place at Stadium @ TPC, a 72 par, 7,214 yard course, and features 14 teams in addition to Florida: No. 23 Wake Forest, Jacksonville, Clemson, East Carolina, Liberty, North Florida, East Tennessee State, Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville State, Mercer, Georgia State, James Madison, Old Dominion and Charleston Southern.
This marks the third year the JU Tournament has been played and the first time Florida has competed. East Tennessee State won the tournament in 2010.
Of the 15-team field, UNF and Clemson both qualified for the 2010 NCAA Tournament and finished 14th and tied for 16th, respectively, in the 30-team field. The only team Florida has seen so far in the 2010-11 season is Georgia State, who finished 11th out of 12 at the Jerry Pate Invitational.
The Gators, led by Vongvanij, earned national recognition after a successful fall in which they finished in the top three in all three tournaments they played, including a first-place finish at the Olympia Fields Invitational in Sept. Vongvanij, the No.1 player in the country according to Golfstat, recorded three top five finishes, including a first-place win at the Isleworth Invitational and a second-place finish at Olympia Fields.
Also returning for Florida this year is redshirt senior Andres Echavarria (Medellin, Colombia), who competed in two tournaments in the fall and boasts a 71.3 stroke average going into the spring.
The Gator sophomore class rounds out the other three golfers in the lineup with Phillip Choi (Orlando, Fla.), Tyler McCumber (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) and Tommy Mou (Bradenton, Fla.). McCumber recorded two top-five finishes and Choi had two top-10 finishes in three tournaments in the competitive fall season.
Week Ahead: Gators seek identity with pair of home tests
If you want to look for evidence Florida basketball is headed nowhere in particular, it isn’t terribly hard to find.
The Gators have lost only five times in 21 games, and teams with far better reputations are in the same neighborhood, but how does one explain the defeat to Jacksonville, the one at home to South Carolina? Is that what we expect from a significant college team?
The Gators have lost only five times in 21 games, and teams with far better reputations are in the same neighborhood, but how does one explain the defeat to Jacksonville, the one at home to South Carolina? Is that what we expect from a significant college team?
Seniors Honored as Florida Sweeps Tennessee
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The No. 5/8 University of Florida men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams sent 12 seniors out in style Saturday, sweeping Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee on Senior Day at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. The No. 5 men’s team defeated the No. 7 Vols, 198-101, while the No. 8 Gator women triumphed over the No. 10 Lady Vols by a 180-120 margin.
“We saw improvement once again today,” head coach Gregg Troy said. “I’m really proud of the effort our team showed out there. The women continue to overcome adversity, while the men’s side had young men like Alex Martin and John Lehtonen step up and race well.”
The 97-point victory for the UF men is the most lopsided win over UT in school history, while being the most points scored by the Gator men and the largest margin of victory in a one-day dual meet since a 208-88 conquest over Florida Atlantic on Jan. 26, 2001. The 198 points were the most in a one-day SEC dual meet since outscoring South Carolina, 248-68, on Oct. 27, 2000, which was also the last time the men of Orange and Blue had a 90-plus point margin of victory in SEC competition.
The Florida women improved to a perfect 25-0 all-time against the women of Tennessee, winning by the largest margin of victory against UT since a 157-86 win on Jan. 26, 2007. The 60-point victory over Tennessee was the biggest SEC win for the Gator women since defeating Auburn by 80 (195-115) on Jan. 22, 2010. Last year’s Senior Day in Gainesville against the Tigers also marked the last time the UF women topped the 180 mark in scoring.
On a day recognizing him and 10 other seniors, captain Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.) won three separate events, including swimming the fastest NCAA time this year in the 400-yard individual medley. Dwyer clocked in at a personal best and NCAA “B” cut time of 3:44.73, the eighth-fastest mark in school history. Earlier in the meet, Dwyer won the 200-yard freestyle with a NCAA provisional mark and UF season-best time of 1:34.33, the fastest time in the SEC (fourth nationally). In the first swimming event of the day, Dwyer teamed up with redshirt sophomore Marco Loughran (London, England), freshman Marcin Cieslak (Warsaw, Poland) and fellow senior Brett Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands) to capture the 200-yard medley relay with a UF season-best tying NCAA “B” cut of 1:28.84.
All three of Dwyer’s teammates picked up victories as well, including sweeps of the backstroke and butterfly events. Loughran swept the 100 and 200 back with NCAA qualifying times of 47.78 and 1:44.01, respectively. Both UF season-best times were top-five marks in the SEC this year, while his finish in the 200 back is 11th-fastest nationally. Cieslak swept the 100 and 200 fly with UF season-best and NCAA provisional times, including swimming the second-fastest mark in the SEC this year in the 100 fly (47.84). Cieslak swam the fastest time by a SEC freshman (third overall) in the 200 fly this season (1:45.45), with the time ranking 12th nationally. The Polish newcomer also finished fourth with a NCAA “B” cut and personal-best time of 3:54.29 in the 400 IM, giving him the third-fastest time by a SEC freshman this season. Fraser picked up his lone individual event win of the day with a 44.38 finish in the 100 free.
An Olympian from the Cayman Islands, Fraser picked up his second relay win of the day in the final event of the afternoon, pairing with junior James Turner (Ft. Pierce, Fla.), freshman Brad deBorde (Longwood, Fla.) and sophomore Sebastien Rousseau (Cape Town, South Africa) to capture the 400-yard freestyle relay with a NCAA “B” cut time of 2:58.50, UF’s fourth cut of the season in the event. Individually, Turner finished second in the 50 free (personal-best 20.38) and 100 free (season-best 44.69). Rousseau also finished second in a race, swimming a personal best NCAA qualifying time of 1:37.77 in the 200 free. Finishing fourth in the same event with a collegiate- best NCAA “B” Cut time of 1:38.23 was sophomore Jonathan Jordan (Tampa, Fla.). Jordan’s best finish of the day came in the 500 free, where the sophomore took second with a personal best and NCAA provisional time of 4:25.02.
Having one of the best meets of his career was sophomore John Lehtonen (Rochester Hills, Mich.), who captured his first victory of the season in the men’s 200-yard breaststroke with a blistering personal and UF season-best time of 1:57.81. Lehtonen’s first NCAA “B” cut of the season was the sixth-quickest in school history, second-fastest in the SEC this season and the fastest mark by a UF swimmer since the school record was broken at the 2009 NCAA Championships. Lehtonen also finished second in the 400 IM with a personal best and NCAA qualifying time of 3:49.71, the fifth-fastest SEC time this season (11th nationally).
Other winners for the Gator men included senior Balazs Gercsak (Budapest, Hungary) and freshman Connor Signorin (East Windsor, New Jersey). On a day recognizing him, Gercsak triumphed in the 500 free with a season-best NCAA qualifying time of 4:24.73. Ten events earlier in the 200 fly, the Hungarian took second with a season-best NCAA provisional mark of 1:46.74. Signorin found success in the 1,000 free, where the Jan. 11 SEC Male Freshman of the Week finished first with a collegiate-best 9:08.84. The time is the sixth-fastest in the SEC in the event this year (second fastest by a SEC freshman).
Senior Alex Martin (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) celebrated his Senior Day by taking third in the 400 IM with his first NCAA “B” cut of the season. Martin’s personal-best time of 3:51.66 is the sixth-fastest mark in the SEC this year in the event. Other Gators picking up their first NCAA “B” cuts of the season included junior Gabriel Huen (Caracas, Venezuela) in the 200 fly (season-best 1:48.05) and freshman Karl Wolk (Calgary, Canada) in the 200 back (1:45.46)
On the women’s side, freshman Hilda Luthersdottir (Hafnarfjordur, Iceland) had her best meet as a Gator with three NCAA qualifying times, including a sweep of the breaststroke events and a win as a member of the Gator 200 medley relay squad. Luthersdottir swam the fastest time by an SEC freshman this season (fifth overall) in the 100 breast, with her NCAA qualifying time of 1.02.29 being the third-quickest mark in Florida history. Ten events later, the Iceland native swam the sixth-fastest 200 breast in school history, finishing in a UF season-best 2:13.64 (sixth fastest in the SEC in 2010-11).
In the first women’s swimming event of the day, Luthersdottir joined junior Lily Ramirez (Gainesville, Fla.), fellow freshman Ellese Zalewski (Melbourne, Australia) and junior Sarah Bateman (Orlando, Fla.) in winning the 200 medley relay with a UF season-best NCAA provisional mark of 1:39.53. The time was the second-fastest by a SEC school this year. Bateman had an impressive meet of her own, winning the 50 and 100 free with NCAA “B” cut times. Bateman’s 22.45 in the 50 free was just .04 off her season-best of 22.41, while her 49.23 in the 100 free is tied for seventh quickest in the SEC and is the fastest UF time this season in the event.
Freshman Elizabeth Beisel (North Kingstown, R.I.) won multiple events as well, winning the 1000 free (9:48.58), 200 back (NCAA “B” cut 1:55.75) and 400 IM (NCAA “B” cut 4:11.66). Beisel’s collegiate-best time in the 1,000 free was the seventh-fastest mark in the NCAA this season in the event (third in the SEC).
Junior Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.) and sophomore Jamie Bohunicky (Gainesville, Fla.) also recorded multiple NCAA provisional times with numerous second-place finishes. Crippen took second in the 200 fly (1:59.47) and 200 back (1:57.44), while Bohunicky barely missed out on first in the 200 free (1:46.54) and 500 free (4:47.67). Bohunicky’s time in the 200 free was a UF season best and is currently seventh in the SEC in the event.
Other NCAA “B” cuts for the UF women included junior Julia Nagy (Viera, Fla.) in the 200 free (personal-best 1:48.80), freshman Trish Regan (Carmel, Ind.) in the 200 back (1:59.01), sophomores Corinne Showalter (Sarasota, Fla.) and Sharla Milne (Lithia, Fla.) in the 500 free (4:51.39 and 4:51.91, respectively) and junior Kirsten Smith (Cary, N.C.) in the 400 IM (4:19.49).
In diving competition, Monica Dodson (Franklin, Ind.) won the lone event for the Gators, winning the women’s three-meter competition with a score of 352.13. The score was less than 10 points off of her own school record (362.11 on Oct. 11, 2010 vs. Virginia), and was her ninth overall victory of the season (fifth on the three meter). Honored earlier in the day as the lone senior on the UF women’s team, Dodson placed second on the one-meter boards with a score of 284.63.
Freshman Michael Lewark (Davie, Fla.) led the Gator men in diving, finishing second on the one-meter boards and third on the three-meter boards. Lewark took second with a 326.93 score in one-meter competition, and then dove his way to a third-place career-high 366.15 on the three-meter boards.
Gators Cap Texas A&M Challenge with Two NCAA Automatic Marks
Florida’s Will Claye (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Gray Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio) each turned in NCAA automatic-qualifying marks on Saturday to highlight the Gators’ participation in the Texas A&M Challenge presented by Mondo America at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.
The Gators won five events on the weekend and totaled two NCAA automatic marks. Florida has now automatically qualified three athletes for the upcoming NCAA Indoor Championships, as the pair of Claye and Horn join sophomore triple jumper Omar Craddock (Killeen, Texas) as athletes who have punched their tickets back to College Station in March.
“I’m very proud of our team as a whole,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “Coming into this weekend, we challenged our athletes just to get better. Our goal each week is just to get better; it’s not about setting records or anything like that. We’re close to where we want to be as a team. This is a very talented group and, as long as we continue to stay focused, we’re going to be okay. At Florida, we work very hard on being at our best at the end of the year and we do that by staying focused on getting better each day.”
Claye, jumping in his first meet in a Gator uniform after transferring from Oklahoma this summer, turned in the best mark in the nation this season in the men’s triple jump with an NCAA automatic-qualifying leap of 16.86m/55-3.25. That goes down as the second-best indoor men’s triple jump mark in school history and Florida’s current jumps corps now features three of the top four triple jumpers in program history.
Claye, who achieved the NCAA automatic mark on his first attempt Saturday, posted the record-setting mark on his final attempt of the afternoon. That breaks the previous Texas A&M Challenge meet record of 16.45m/53-11.75, previously set by Texas A&M’s Julian Reed. Claye is the only men’s triple jumper in the country this season to surpass the 55-foot plateau.
Horn won the men’s heptathlon with a personal best and an NCAA automatic-qualifying score of 5,747. That goes down as the second-best heptathlon score in school history and betters his previous personal-best mark of 5,653. He won four of the seven events in which he competed over the course of the weekend and his score goes down as the second-best in the country this season.
After setting the first-day school record on Friday with a four-event total of 3,242, Horn opened his second day of competition by winning the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.27. He continued on to the pole vault, where he finished third with a leap of 4.55m/14-11, before closing out the day with a second-place finish in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:45.37.
“The goal was to come in here and establish what my strengths and my flaws are and I think we did just that,” Horn said. “The pros were higher than the cons this weekend and, thankfully, I was able to put together a good score to go on to nationals. It feels good to know after a long fall of work that it all came together and I was able to be successful.”
Freshman middle-distance runner Dumisane Hlaselo (South Africa) won the men’s mile competition in a time of 4:05.95, directing a 1-3-6 finish by the Gators in that event. Derek Wehunt (Tampa, Fla.) placed third overall in a time of 4:11.40, while junior Michael Anderson (Williston, Fla.) had an indoor personal best of 4:13.17 to finish sixth overall.
Senior thrower Kemal Mesic (Sarajevo, Bosnia) captured the men’s shot put competition with a toss of 18.88m/61-11.50. Mesic remains undefeated against collegiate competitors this season, having already entered the meet among the top-10 men’s shot put competitors in the country this season.
Freshman Ebony Eutsey (Miami, Fla.) claimed the women’s 400-meter run in a time of 54.59 to pick up her first collegiate victory. Eutsey then ran the lead-off leg of Florida’s 4x400-meter relay team that posted a time of 3:36.45, which is just outside of Florida’s all-time top-10. She was joined on the relay by Lanie Whittaker (Miami, Fla.), Danielle Williams (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Ugonna Ndu (Newark, N.J.).
Junior Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Ga.), jumping for the first time in the 2011 season, placed second in the men’s long jump with a leap of 7.57m/24-10. Freshman Lorraine Graham (Springdale, Md.) was second in the women’s long jump with a mark of 6.04m/19-9,75, while senior Daniela Griffin (Jacksonville, Fla.) was eighth with a personal-best mark of 5.79m/19-0, bettering her previous best by four inches.
Craddock, who has already qualified automatically for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the men’s triple jump, was second in that event on Saturday with a mark of 15.82m/51-11.
Senior sprinter Terrell Wilks (New Haven, Conn.) and junior transfer Leonardo Seymore (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.) each advanced to the finals of the men’s 60-meter dash, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively. Wilks, who ranks second on the school’s all-time 60m list, posted a strong season-opening time of 6.72.
Sean Obinwa (Tampa, Fla.) was second in the men’s 800-meter run in 1:50.72, while sophomore John Mitchell (Plant City, Fla.) was third also with a personal-best 1:51.35. Daniel Wehunt (Tampa, Fla.) placed sixth overall in a collegiate-best 1:52.72.
Freshman distance runner Callie Cooper (St. Johns, Fla.) placed seventh in the women’s 3,000-meter run in a time of 9:43.42. Cooper’s time was a sizeable personal-best of more than 30 seconds in that event. On the men’s side James Uthmeier (Destin, Fla.) was fifth in the 3,000-meter run in a personal-best time of 8:25.96.
Junior Ashley Usery (St. Louis, Mo.) placed seventh in the women’s 600-yard run in a time of 1:24.27. That bettered her previous personal-best time of 1:26.16, charted at last season’s Texas A&M Challenge.
Freshman sprinter Darshay Davis (Mirimar, Fla.) was seventh overall in the women’s 200-meter dash in a time of 24.20, while Seymore was tied for fifth in the men’s 200-meter dash in 21.50.
Freshman hurdler Eddie Lovett (West Palm Beach, Fla.) posted a collegiate-best time of 7.88 in the preliminaries of the men’s 60-meter hurdles, while William Wynne (Marietta, Ga.) was fourth in the event’s final by clocking a 7.92.
Distance runners Mandy Perkins (Ormond Beach, Fla.) and Stephanie Strasser (Fernandina Beach, Fla.) were fourth and fifth, respectively in the women’s mile both running times of 4:55.66 and 4:55.73.
Florida returns to action on Friday when it travels to Blacksburg, Va., to compete in the two-day Virginia Tech Elite Meet.
Stewart and Jones Lead Women's Hoops to Road Win at Mississippi State, 67-60
Junior co-captains Azania Stewart (Wood Green, England) and Jordan Jones (Suwanee, Ga.) combined for 37 points and led the Florida women’s basketball team to a 67-60 victory against Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum.
The Gators earned their second true road win of the year, while keeping the Lady Bulldogs searching for their first Southeastern Conference victory of the season.
Stewart scored a season-high 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor, while grabbing six rebounds, all in the second half.
Jones finished with 18 points, nailing 4-of-7 from the three-point arc and more importantly 6-of-6 from the free throw line, all of which came in the final 6:41 of the game. Jones’ final field goal came with 1:48 remaining after Mississippi State (8-11, 0-7 SEC) was within five points and seemed to answer every Gator bucket late.
With Florida (13-9, 3-5 SEC) holding a 63-57 lead with 56 seconds to go, Lanita Bartley (Jacksonville, Fla.) came up with a huge offensive rebound off a missed free throw. She was able to work the clock and eventually was fouled with 37.1 seconds to go. She missed those two free throws, but connected on two with 21.7 seconds remaining that made it a two-possession game. Jones then followed with two more from the line with 15.1 ticks on the clock to seal the victory.
“One of the things we talked about entering this game was that it was important to have ‘no composure’ moments,” UF head coach Amanda Butler said. “We did a pretty good job of holding to that. Jordan’s free throws were huge. She wanted the ball and that’s a sign of a confident free throw shooter. Lanita did a great job and the offensive rebound that she somehow ended up with put the nail in the coffin. There’s no question that Azania’s play today was the difference.”
Ndidi Madu (Antioch, Tenn.) added 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting for the Gators, who hit 48.9 percent (23-47) from the floor overall, including a 6-of-13 effort from the three-point arc, as Bartley and Jaterra Bonds (Gainesville, Fla.) also connected from deep. Bonds collected six rebounds to share team honors with Stewart, as Florida held a 37-27 advantage on the boards.
Mary Kathryn Govero scored a game-high 22 points, as she nailed 6-of-8 three-pointers for MSU, which converted 10-of-19 overall from long range. Porsha Porter finished with 18 points and a team-high seven rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs, who shot 38.6 percent overall and 28.1 percent in the second half when the Gators outscored their hosts 31-27.
MSU scored the first points of the second half and cut UF’s lead to one, 35-34, before Ndidi Madu hit a deep jumper and Azania Stewart ripped off the next five points and gave the Gators a 41-35 lead.
Porsha Porter came right back with a three-point play, before Stewart added another inside jumper. Mary Kathryn Govero nailed her fourth trey of the game and brought MSU within two, 43-41, with 16:15 to play.
Florida slowly extended its lead again with the next four points, as Brittany Shine added a bucket and Jennifer George converted 2-of-4 from the free throw line.
After Porter canned a jumper, Stewart followed her own miss and putback a four-footer, before Madu out-jumped everyone for an offensive rebound and hit the soft 5-footer that gave the Gators a 51-43 advantage with 7:35 on the clock.
Porter’s next two points came from the charity stripe with 7:07 remaining in the game, as did Jordan Jones’ points, as she earned her ninth double-figure scoring game of the season.
Govero stepped with another trey and Diamber Johnson followed with a bucket inside the arc and cut UF’s lead to three, 53-50, with 5:41 remaining.
Deana Allen (Houma, La.) came off the bench and converted a pair of free throws, before Bartley nailed a huge three-pointer in front of the Gator bench and gave UF a 58-50 lead with 4:26 on the clock.
The teams traded scores for the next couple of minutes, before Johnson hit two free throws and had MSU within 63-57 with 56.2 seconds remaining.
Allen was then fouled, but missed the front end of a one-and-one. Bartley scrapped for the lose rebound and came away with it and was fouled. Bartley, however, missed both of her bonus tries and the Lady Bulldogs made the Gators pay, as Danielle Rector nailed a three-point from the top of the key and brought hope to the home fans with 28 seconds remaining as MSU trailed by just three.
Bartley redeemed herself, though, by converting two free throws on her next trip to the line with 21.7 seconds on the clock and gave Florida a 65-60 cushion.
MSU sailed on airball on its next offensive possession and was forced to foul Jones, who received the in-bounds pass. Jones calmly nailed both free throws with 15.1 seconds remaining to ice the victory and ended the game’s scoring.
This is the first of two regular-season meetings between the teams, the second scheduled for Sun., Feb. 20 in Gainesville.
UF also improved to 2-7 when playing a true road game this season, both victories coming in league action.
Fourteen of UF’s 23 games this year have been decided by 10 points or fewer, with nine being six-point differences.
Florida came out sizzling with its shot from the floor, as Jordan Jones and Jaterra Bonds nailed their first two three-point attempts, while Azania Stewart sank an inside jumper on a dish from Ndidi Madu and gave the Gators a quick 8-0 lead that forced MSU to call a timeout at the 16:27 mark.
Catina Bett got the first points for the Lady Bulldogs, but Jones nailed another from deep and Jennifer George’s short shot in the paint extended Florida’s lead to 11 points, 13-2.
MSU settled and marched off a 7-0 run and closed within four points, before Stewart scored the next four of the game and gave the Gators a 17-9 advantage.
Mary Kathryn Govero then hit the first of three first-half treys, sparking a 9-1 run with all MSU points coming from long range and tied the score at 18-all with 8:53 on the clock.
Stewart and Madu accounted for the next two field goals and started a 9-2 swing for the visitors, who jumped back out to a seven-point spread, 27-20, with 6:39 to go.
Govero nailed a bucket from inside the arc and the teams traded two-pointers for the next two and half minutes and UF maintained its seven-point lead with 2:12 on the clock.
The Lady Bulldogs took advantage of three consecutive Gator miscues and tallied the next six points of the period and closed within one, 34-33, with 16 seconds remaining. Stewart then halted the run and netted the final points of the half, taking a feed from Lanita Bartley and finishing, giving Florida a 36-33 halftime lead.
The Gators shot 55.6 percent in the first half, hitting 15-of-27 overall, including 4-of-6 from the three-point arc. Stewart collected 12 points, connecting on all six of her shots, while collecting a pair of steals. Jones added nine points, hitting 3-of-4 from long range.
Govero tallied 13 points, with a 3-of-3 from the arc for MSU, which converted 52 percent of its tries in the first 20 minutes, including 6-of-8 from long range.
Florida Routs Winthrop in ITA Classic Championship, 7-0
The second-ranked University of Florida women’s tennis team defeated No. 66 Winthrop, 7-0, on Sunday afternoon at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex to earn a chance to compete in the Feb. 18-21 ITA National Team Indoor Championships at the Boar’s Head Tennis Club in Charlottesville, Va. (hosted by the Univ. of Virginia).
The Gators got off to a good start in doubles play, earning the doubles point in just 41 minutes with wins by Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) and Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) at No. 2 doubles and Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburn, Belguim) at No. 1 doubles.
“Today was the most focused we have been all year,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “We challenged them in the locker room before we came out today and I was very pleased. We are a very talented and tough team and if we have that focus every time we go out, we will be a tough team to beat.”
Oyen then went on to claim the first singles point at the No. 3 spot in her 6-3, 6-0 defeat of Winthrop’s Sandra Herrera. Within a span of three minutes, Embree and Will sealed the win with victories at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively.
“I played a lot better today,” Embree said. “My serve was a lot better and I felt much more confident.”
Florida played the match out, earning wins in straight-sets in the remaining singles contests to extend UF’s home-court winning streak to 85-consecutive matches.
The Gators return to the court next Sat., Feb. 5 to take on No. 3 Baylor at 1 p.m. at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
Women’s College Tennis
No. 66 Winthrop at No. 2 Florida
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Final Score: Florida 7, Withrop 0
Doubles
1. (1) Allie Will/Sofie Oyen, UF, d. Sandra Herrera/Giovanna Portiolli, Win, 8-2*
2. Lauren Embree/Joanna Mather, UF, d. Yasmine Alkema/Julia Breuss, Win, 8-2
3. Alex Cercone/Olivia Janowicz, UF, v. Elizaveta Zayteseva/Andressa Garcia, Win, 7-0, DNF
Singles
1. (7) Allie Will, UF, d. Elizaveta Zayteseva, Win, 6-0, 6-0*
2. Lauren Embree, UF, d. Yasmine Alkema, Win, 6-1, 6-0
3. (96) Sofie Oyen, UF, d. Sandra Herrera, Win, 6-3, 6-0
4. (30) Joanna Mather, UF, d. Giovanna Portiolli, Win, 6-2, 6-1
5. (22) Olivia Janowicz, UF, d. Andressa Garcia, Win, 6-1, 6-2
6. Carolina Hitimana, UF, d. Julia Breuss, Win, 6-0, 6-1
Order of Finish: Doubles: 2, 1; Singles: 3,2,1,5,4,6
*indicates clinching doubles point and dual match victory
Records: Florida 3-0, Winthrop 3-4
Gator Swimming Finishes Regular Season with Sweep Over Indian River State College
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams swept Indian River State College at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center Sunday afternoon. One day after sweeping top-10 rival Tennessee on Senior Day, the No. 5 men’s team (6-3, 2-1 SEC) defeated the Pioneers, 165-120, while the No. 8 women’s squad (6-4, 1-2 SEC) earned a 157-106 victory to conclude the regular season.
“It was a tremendous weekend for the seniors,” head coach Gregg Troy said. “They (the seniors) had great performances. It was fantastic to watch today’s camaraderie against Indian River, at the senior dinner last night and at breakfast this morning. It was a tremendous way to finish up the dual-meet season for the seniors.”
The Gators walked away with victories in all 34 events. The UF men improved to a flawless 25-0 all-time against IRSC, while the UF women bettered their record to 26-2 against the Pioneers. The meet was a matchup of 2010 national champions, as the Gators women won their first NCAA Championship since 1982 this past season, while the Pioneer women won their 29th consecutive NJCAA Championship. The IRSC men entered this year having won 36-straight NJCAA titles.
To start off the day, freshman Danielle Risley (Jacksonville, Fla.) notched her first two career victories in women’s diving, scoring a career-high 332.55 on the women’s three-meter boards, while winning the one-meter with a score of 284.40. Junior Anthony Lewark (Davie, Fla.) swept the men’s side for the Orange and Blue, registering a career-high 394.20 on the three-meter boards, as well as a first-place score of 349.35 in one-meter competition.
Following a pair of Gator 400-yard medley relay victories to commence the swimming events, Julia Nagy (Viera, Fla.) swam a personal-best 16:58.51 in the women’s 1,650-yard freestyle. The junior would go on to swim another personal best in the 500 free with a NCAA “B” cut time of 4:51.00. In her only relay competition of the day, Nagy (season-best 24.02 split) teamed up with sophomore Jamie Bohunicky (Gainesville, Fla.) and freshmen Trish Regan (Carmel, Ind.) and Alana Pazevic (Mill Creek, Wash.) to win the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:33.82. In individual competition, Regan would go on to win the women’s 200-yard individual medley in 2:03.64.
Senior captain Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.) followed up Nagy’s win in the 1,650 free with a NCAA provisional mark of 15:05.97 in the men’s 1,650 free, the 11th-fastest NCAA time this season. Sophomore Jonathan Jordan (Tampa, Fla.) took second with a NCAA “B” cut time of 15:27.76. Dwyer’s personal-best time was also third-quickest in the Southeastern Conference this year. The U.S. National Team member (19.89 split) ended his day in the men’s 200 free relay, where he teamed up with junior James Turner (Ft. Pierce, Fla.), fellow senior Brett Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands) and freshman Brad deBorde (Longwood, Fla.) to swim UF’s fastest time of the 2010-11 campaign (1:20.26). The NCAA qualifying time marked the second-fastest men’s 200 free relay time in the SEC this season. Later in the day, Fraser would go on to win the men’s 100-yard backstroke in 48.78.
The Gators then swept the 200 free events with juniors Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.) and Jeffrey Raymond (Davie, Fla.), who swam times of 1:51.17 and 1:38.43 (season best), respectively. In the women’s 100 back, junior Sarah Bateman (Orlando, Fla.) clocked in first at a season-best time of 55.27. Following Fraser’s 100 back win, junior Lily Ramirez (Gainesville, Fla.) and sophomore Rodion Davelaar (Willemstad, Netherland Antilles) swept the 100-yard breaststroke with times of 1:04.83 (personal best) and 55.89, respectively. Ramirez also won the women’s 200 back in 2:01.10.
After sophomore Corinne Showalter (Sarasota, Fla.) won the women’s 200-yard butterfly in a season-best 2:04.52, freshman Karl Wolk (Calgary, Canada) registered his first career NCAA “B” cut time in the men’s 200 fly by touching the wall in a personal-best 1:47.23. Sophomore John Lehtonen (Rochester Hills, Mich.) just missed first with a second-place NCAA provisional mark of 1:47.47, which was also a personal best. Lehtonen would go on to capture the men’s 200 breast in a personal-best NCAA provisional time of 1:58.44, while finishing second in the men’s 200 IM with a NCAA “B” cut time of 1:49.06, which was also a personal best. Senior Alex Martin (Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.) won the men’s 200 IM with a NCAA provisional time of his own, swimming a personal-best 1:48.31.
Redshirt sophomore Marco Loughran (London, England) swam a personal-best 21.33 to capture the men’s 50 free, while freshman Kaitlin Frehling (St. Petersburg, Fla.) picked up her first individual career win by winning the women’s 50 free in a collegiate-best 23.49. Ten events later in the women’s 100 fly, the native Floridian took first in 56.36. Additional winners on the women’s side included freshman Ellese Zalewski (Melbourne, Australia) in the 100 free (51.68) and junior Angelina Ballatore (Gainesville, Fla.) in the 200 breast (2:25.71).
On the men’s side, additional Gator victors included senior Balazs Gercsak (Budapest, Hungary) in the 100 free (personal-best 46.48), senior Joey Pedraza (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) in the 200 back (season-best 1:50.06), sophomore Jason Taylor (Plant City, Fla.) in the 500 free (4:30.79) and senior Michael Yuan (Winter Springs, Fla.) in the 100 fly (personal-best 48.15). On a weekend paying homage to himself and 11 other seniors, Yuan marked his first-ever NCAA qualifying time with his NCAA “B” cut time in the 100 fly.
The Orange and Blue finished the weekend sweeping the Pioneers in the women’s (7:47.14) and men’s (6:52.06) 800-yard freestyle relay.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
#24 Florida falls on the road to Mississippi State, 71-64
STARKVILLE -- Dee Bost scored 24 points, Kodi Augustus and Renardo Sidney each added 16, and Mississippi State beat No. 24 Florida 71-64 Saturday.
The Bulldogs (11-9, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) have won four of the last five against the Gators. Bost made 8 of 14 shots from the field, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. He also added five assists and three rebounds.
Only four Mississippi State players scored, but all of them finished in double figures. Ravern Johnson scored 15 points, including 13 in the first half, as the Bulldogs beat a ranked team for the first time this season.
The Bulldogs won despite being outrebounded 43-37 and giving up 17 offensive rebounds.
Florida (16-5, 5-2) trailed 51-42 early in the second half, but went on a 13-1 run to take a 55-52 lead. The game was tight from there, with five lead changes. But the Bulldogs pushed ahead in the final minute, making 6 of 6 free throws to seal the victory.
Florida came into the game with the SEC's best conference record, but was hurt by a 9-of-19 performance (47.4 percent) at the free-throw line, including several crucial misses in the final minutes. Vernon Macklin made a free throw to tie the game at 64 with 3:32 remaining, but the Gators were held scoreless from that point.
Erving Walker led the Gators with 18 points, making 6 of 17 shots from the field. Macklin added 10 points and six rebounds.
Florida dominated in the paint, outscoring Mississippi State 38-16 and also held a 17-0 advantage in bench scoring.
Ten different Gators scored at least two points, but combined, they shot just 25 of 63 (39.7 percent) from the field.
Chandler Parsons added nine points and 10 rebounds.
Mississippi State had a 40-38 advantage at halftime after leading by as many as 10 in the first half.
The Bulldogs (11-9, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) have won four of the last five against the Gators. Bost made 8 of 14 shots from the field, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range. He also added five assists and three rebounds.
Only four Mississippi State players scored, but all of them finished in double figures. Ravern Johnson scored 15 points, including 13 in the first half, as the Bulldogs beat a ranked team for the first time this season.
The Bulldogs won despite being outrebounded 43-37 and giving up 17 offensive rebounds.
Florida (16-5, 5-2) trailed 51-42 early in the second half, but went on a 13-1 run to take a 55-52 lead. The game was tight from there, with five lead changes. But the Bulldogs pushed ahead in the final minute, making 6 of 6 free throws to seal the victory.
Florida came into the game with the SEC's best conference record, but was hurt by a 9-of-19 performance (47.4 percent) at the free-throw line, including several crucial misses in the final minutes. Vernon Macklin made a free throw to tie the game at 64 with 3:32 remaining, but the Gators were held scoreless from that point.
Erving Walker led the Gators with 18 points, making 6 of 17 shots from the field. Macklin added 10 points and six rebounds.
Florida dominated in the paint, outscoring Mississippi State 38-16 and also held a 17-0 advantage in bench scoring.
Ten different Gators scored at least two points, but combined, they shot just 25 of 63 (39.7 percent) from the field.
Chandler Parsons added nine points and 10 rebounds.
Mississippi State had a 40-38 advantage at halftime after leading by as many as 10 in the first half.
No. 2 W-Tennis Defeats College of Charleston in ITA Kick-Off Classic First Round, 6-0
The second-ranked University of Florida women’s tennis team defeated College of Charleston, 6-0, Saturday morning in the first round of the ITA Kick-Off Classic played at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex.
The win extend the Gators’ regular-season home-winning streak to 93, including 82 consecutive overall home victories.
“I thought we played pretty well,” UF head coach Roland Thornqvist said. “We had moments in doubles where we weren’t as focused, but we got off the court quickly when we were supposed to in singles.”
With today’s win, Thornqvist improved his record to 294-79 in 15 years of collegiate coaching, including a 219-29 mark in 10 seasons with the Gators.
Florida (2-0) earned its first point against College of Charleston (0-1) with wins at the No. 2 and 3 doubles spots. Lauren Embree (Marco Island, Fla.) and Joanna Mather (Duluth, Ga.) won the first doubles match with an 8-1 victory and Alex Cercone (Seminole, Fla.) and Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) clinched the doubles point with their 8-0 win.
In singles play, Janowicz earned the first singles point with her 6-0, 6-2 defeat of Kelly Kambourelis at the No. 5 position. Caroline Hitimana (Waterloo, Belgium) was not far behind in her victory over Irene Viana, 6-1, 6-0.
Freshman Sofie Oyen (Leopoldsburg, Belgium) clinched the match with her 6-1, 6-3 win over Charleston’s Kinsey Casey at the No. 3 spot, but Allie Will (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Embree still had time to record wins at the No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively.
“I felt a lot better than I had in doubles play,” Embree said. “I felt more confident in singles too, but not quite as good, but I still played well throughout the match and tried to keep my focus.”
Florida awaits the winner of the other first-round ITA Kick-Off Classic match played in Gainesville between Winthrop and William & Mary. The second-round championship match will be played Sunday at 1 p.m., following the consolation match that begins at 10 a.m.
The winner of the second-round advances to the round of 16 for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships held in Madison, Wis., February 18-21.
Women’s College Tennis
No. 69 College of Charleston at No. 2 Florida
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Final Score: Florida 6, CofC 0
Doubles
1. (1) Sofie Oyen/Allie Will, UF v. Emma Hayman/Irene Viana, CofC, 5-3
2. Lauren Embree/Joanna Mather, UF d. Christin Newman/Kelly Kambourelis, CofC, 8-1
3. Alex Cercone/Caroline Hitimana, UF d. Caroline Newman/Katie Lee, CofC, 8-0*
Singles
1. (7) Allie Will, UF d. Christin Newman, CofC, 6-0, 6-0
2. Lauren Embree, UF d. Emma Hayman, CofC, 6-2, 6-2
3. (96) Sofie Oyen, UF d. Kinsey Casey, CofC, 6-1, 6-3*
4. (30) Joanna Mather, UF vs. Caroline Newman, CofC, 7-5, 2-1, DNF
5. (28) Alex Cercone, UF d. Kelly Kambourelis, CofC, 6-0, 6-2
6. (22) Caroline Hitimana, UF d. Irene Viana, CofC, 6-1, 6-0
Order of Finish: Doubles: 2,3* ; Singles: 5, 6, 3*, 2, 1
*indicates clinching doubles point and dual match victory
Records: Florida 2-0; CofC 0-1
Gators Fall Short at The Hump, 71-64
The Gators’ game of catch-up fell short as the Mississippi State Bulldogs pulled out a 71-64 win over Florida on Saturday afternoon at Humphrey Coliseum.
Florida had contributions from all players, led by Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.)’s 18 points. Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) had a game-high 13 rebounds and the Gators’ bench outscored the Bulldogs’, 17-0, but it was not enough.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead, pulling ahead of the Gators by as much as 10 behind relentless shots behind the arc. Florida, on the other hand, scored seven of their first eight baskets in the paint. The Gators were able to close the gap behind a 7-0 run triggered by smart decisions in the paint, including a driving layup by Walker, to close the Mississippi State lead to just three.
Renardo Sidney shifted the momentum back to the Bulldogs, scoring five straight points to extend State’s lead to 30-22 with just 8:26 remaining in the half. Florida then went on a 10-2 run, sparked by a Casey Prather (Jackson, Tenn.) trey. Vernon Macklin (Portsmouth, Va.) completed a three-point play to inch back within two at 34-36. Florida tied the game for the first time with a Walker jumper to make it 38-38. Ravern Johnson’s jumper put the Bulldogs back up 40-38 and took that lead into halftime.
Mississippi State opened the second half on an 11-4 run behind four straight points by Sidney, who had a similar streak in the first half. Florida was able to cut the lead to four thanks to strong play by its freshmen Scottie Wilbekin (Gainesville, Fla.) and Prather, who hit a trey and a layup, respectively. Erik Murphy (South Kingstown, R.I.) hit a three-pointer to close the gap to two, 52-50. The Gators took their first lead with a trey by Walker, followed by his two made free throws, capping a 13-1 run for Florida.
The Bulldogs began another scoring run behind Dee Bost’s back-to-back treys and coupled a Sidney layup, giving the Bulldogs a 60-57 lead. The Gators cut the lead to 60-59 behind two made free throws by Walker. The Orange and Blue took the lead once again with a Tyus put-back dunk.
Mississippi State answered with two made free throws from Bost but Florida found success in the paint once again, as Walker sank a jumper to put the Gators ahead, 63-62. Bost had another response with a jumper to put Mississippi State ahead once again. The Gators tied with a Walker free throw to put the game even at 64 apiece with a Macklin free throw. Mississippi State shut down the Gators offensively for the last five minutes and Kodi Augustus made his five out of six free throws to give the Bulldogs the win, 71-64.
Bost led all scorers with 24 points, while Augustus and Sidney each contributed 16 points and Johnson had 15.
Florida returns to the hardcourt on Tuesday, February 1st as the Gators take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Opening tip is at 9pm on ESPN.
Florida had contributions from all players, led by Erving Walker (Brooklyn, N.Y.)’s 18 points. Chandler Parsons (Casselberry, Fla.) had a game-high 13 rebounds and the Gators’ bench outscored the Bulldogs’, 17-0, but it was not enough.
The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead, pulling ahead of the Gators by as much as 10 behind relentless shots behind the arc. Florida, on the other hand, scored seven of their first eight baskets in the paint. The Gators were able to close the gap behind a 7-0 run triggered by smart decisions in the paint, including a driving layup by Walker, to close the Mississippi State lead to just three.
Renardo Sidney shifted the momentum back to the Bulldogs, scoring five straight points to extend State’s lead to 30-22 with just 8:26 remaining in the half. Florida then went on a 10-2 run, sparked by a Casey Prather (Jackson, Tenn.) trey. Vernon Macklin (Portsmouth, Va.) completed a three-point play to inch back within two at 34-36. Florida tied the game for the first time with a Walker jumper to make it 38-38. Ravern Johnson’s jumper put the Bulldogs back up 40-38 and took that lead into halftime.
Mississippi State opened the second half on an 11-4 run behind four straight points by Sidney, who had a similar streak in the first half. Florida was able to cut the lead to four thanks to strong play by its freshmen Scottie Wilbekin (Gainesville, Fla.) and Prather, who hit a trey and a layup, respectively. Erik Murphy (South Kingstown, R.I.) hit a three-pointer to close the gap to two, 52-50. The Gators took their first lead with a trey by Walker, followed by his two made free throws, capping a 13-1 run for Florida.
The Bulldogs began another scoring run behind Dee Bost’s back-to-back treys and coupled a Sidney layup, giving the Bulldogs a 60-57 lead. The Gators cut the lead to 60-59 behind two made free throws by Walker. The Orange and Blue took the lead once again with a Tyus put-back dunk.
Mississippi State answered with two made free throws from Bost but Florida found success in the paint once again, as Walker sank a jumper to put the Gators ahead, 63-62. Bost had another response with a jumper to put Mississippi State ahead once again. The Gators tied with a Walker free throw to put the game even at 64 apiece with a Macklin free throw. Mississippi State shut down the Gators offensively for the last five minutes and Kodi Augustus made his five out of six free throws to give the Bulldogs the win, 71-64.
Bost led all scorers with 24 points, while Augustus and Sidney each contributed 16 points and Johnson had 15.
Florida returns to the hardcourt on Tuesday, February 1st as the Gators take on the Vanderbilt Commodores at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Opening tip is at 9pm on ESPN.
Report: former Gator Maurkice Pouncey has broken ankle bone, questionable Super Bowl XLV
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t updated Maurkice Pouncey’s status for Super Bowl XLV, but it’s looking less likely that the former Gator will be able to play.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that in addition to a high ankle sprain, Pouncey has a broken bone in his ankle.
The Steelers have not said of their rookie Pro Bowl center would play vs. Green Bay. Earlier this week, Pouncey said he expects to play, but he has since had a hard cast put on his ankle and is on crutches. Teammate Chris Kemoeatu said it’s likely Pouncey won’t play.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that in addition to a high ankle sprain, Pouncey has a broken bone in his ankle.
The Steelers have not said of their rookie Pro Bowl center would play vs. Green Bay. Earlier this week, Pouncey said he expects to play, but he has since had a hard cast put on his ankle and is on crutches. Teammate Chris Kemoeatu said it’s likely Pouncey won’t play.
Gators and Bulldogs square off in Starkville
The 24th-ranked Florida Gators carry a three-game win streak into today's SEC showdown with the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
On Tuesday, the Gators exhibited a tremendous amount of toughness on the road by defeating Georgia in double overtime, 104-91. Florida is now 16-4 overall, including a stellar 5-1 in conference, and the team has won all five of its true road games this season.
Back-to-back losses have dropped Mississippi State to 10-9 overall, and the team is now a disappointing 2-3 against SEC competition. On Thursday, the Starkville crowd watched in disappointment as the Bulldogs fell to Vanderbilt by an 81-74 final. Prior to that setback, MSU dropped a 22-point decision to Georgia.
Florida owns a 57-48 series lead over Mississippi State, and the teams split a pair of meetings last season.
Clearly, Florida gets the job done at both ends of the court. Offensively, the Gators are netting a solid 71.8 ppg and have four double-digit scorers in the fold. Erving Walker leads the pack with 14.3 ppg on 40.6 percent shooting from three-point range. Kenny Boynton checks in with 13.4 ppg, and Vernon Macklin provides 11.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Rounding out the foursome is Chandler Parsons, who provides 10.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg. At the defensive end, Florida is limiting foes to 61.2 ppg on 41.3 percent shooting.
The Gators are outrebounding opponents by nearly seven boards per contest, an obvious key to their success. Boynton and Walker both scored 24 points in the overtime victory over Georgia on Tuesday. Macklin added 23 points and nine rebounds, and Parsons scored 18 points and 12 rebounds. A 26-16 edge in points from the foul line played a major role in the victory.
Mississippi State is averaging 69.2 ppg while allowing 70.6 ppg on 41.8 percent shooting from the floor. There is no shortage of talent in the lineup for the Bulldogs, who boast four double-digit scorers. Ravern Johnson is posting 18.2 ppg, and Dee Bost is close behind with his 17.2 ppg and 6.4 apg. Renardo Sidney provides 13.3 ppg, and Kodi Augustus rounds out the foursome with 12.0 ppg and 8.1 rpg. Johnson scored 19 points to lead MSU in the loss to Vanderbilt two days ago. Bost finished that clash with 18 points and six assists, while Augustus added 10 points. MSU shot 13-of-29 from the floor in both the first and second half, but while the play at the offensive end was consistent, the performance at the defensive end was not. The Bulldogs allowed Vanderbilt to shoot 50 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes after limiting the Commodores to 35.3 percent efficiency over the opening 20 minutes.
On Tuesday, the Gators exhibited a tremendous amount of toughness on the road by defeating Georgia in double overtime, 104-91. Florida is now 16-4 overall, including a stellar 5-1 in conference, and the team has won all five of its true road games this season.
Back-to-back losses have dropped Mississippi State to 10-9 overall, and the team is now a disappointing 2-3 against SEC competition. On Thursday, the Starkville crowd watched in disappointment as the Bulldogs fell to Vanderbilt by an 81-74 final. Prior to that setback, MSU dropped a 22-point decision to Georgia.
Florida owns a 57-48 series lead over Mississippi State, and the teams split a pair of meetings last season.
Clearly, Florida gets the job done at both ends of the court. Offensively, the Gators are netting a solid 71.8 ppg and have four double-digit scorers in the fold. Erving Walker leads the pack with 14.3 ppg on 40.6 percent shooting from three-point range. Kenny Boynton checks in with 13.4 ppg, and Vernon Macklin provides 11.4 ppg and 6.4 rpg. Rounding out the foursome is Chandler Parsons, who provides 10.4 ppg and 7.2 rpg. At the defensive end, Florida is limiting foes to 61.2 ppg on 41.3 percent shooting.
The Gators are outrebounding opponents by nearly seven boards per contest, an obvious key to their success. Boynton and Walker both scored 24 points in the overtime victory over Georgia on Tuesday. Macklin added 23 points and nine rebounds, and Parsons scored 18 points and 12 rebounds. A 26-16 edge in points from the foul line played a major role in the victory.
Mississippi State is averaging 69.2 ppg while allowing 70.6 ppg on 41.8 percent shooting from the floor. There is no shortage of talent in the lineup for the Bulldogs, who boast four double-digit scorers. Ravern Johnson is posting 18.2 ppg, and Dee Bost is close behind with his 17.2 ppg and 6.4 apg. Renardo Sidney provides 13.3 ppg, and Kodi Augustus rounds out the foursome with 12.0 ppg and 8.1 rpg. Johnson scored 19 points to lead MSU in the loss to Vanderbilt two days ago. Bost finished that clash with 18 points and six assists, while Augustus added 10 points. MSU shot 13-of-29 from the floor in both the first and second half, but while the play at the offensive end was consistent, the performance at the defensive end was not. The Bulldogs allowed Vanderbilt to shoot 50 percent from the field over the final 20 minutes after limiting the Commodores to 35.3 percent efficiency over the opening 20 minutes.
No. 7 Men's Tennis Sweeps UC Santa Barbara, 4-0
The seventh-ranked Florida men’s tennis team posted a 4-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara Friday at Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex in the opening round of the ITA Kickoff Weekend.
The Gators will face either Troy or North Carolina State at 1 p.m. on Saturday with a trip to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on Feb. 18-21 in Seattle, Wash., at stake.
“Santa Barbara did a good job preparing for this match,” head coach Andy Jackson said. “We played OK, and we got through. We need to play better tomorrow, but our commitment to getting through the match was good. Now we have a chance to play in our first championship match, and hopefully it’s not our last. We’re excited to play.”
Bob van Overbeek (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Billy Federhofer (North Miami, Fla.) posted a quick win on court three to give the Gators the early edge in doubles, while courts one and two both went down to the wire. UCSB fought off a late surge by Sekou Bangoura Jr. (Bradenton, Fla.) and Andrew Butz (Vero Beach, Fla.) to win court two in a tiebreaker. However, the Gators wrapped up the doubles point minutes later as Alexandre Lacroix (Paris, France) and Nassim Slilam (Paris, France) served out the match for an 8-6 victory.
Lacroix then led the charge in singles, winning 10 of the final 11 games to close out Benjamin Recknagel on court one, 6-3, 6-0.
“In the beginning, it was a little windy, I didn’t know the guy I was playing and he was playing well,” Lacroix said. “But we all tried to show we were ready to play for a long time, and they backed down a little bit. I got used to his game, and he backed down physically and mentally.”
Slilam also cruised to a straight-sets victory on court four, topping Taylor Chavez Goggin, 6-2, 6-2, in just under an hour. The clinched followed soon after from van Overbeek, who also finished strong, winning 10 of the final 13 games on the way to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Mathieu Forget on court three.
Being a tournament match, the remaining matches in action were abandoned once UF clinched. Of note, freshman Spencer Newman (Miami, Fla.) made his Gator debut after enrolling in January and held a healthy 6-2, 4-3 lead on court six at the time the match was abandoned.
#7 Florida vs. UC Santa Barbara
ITA Kick-Off Weekend
Linder Stadium at Ring Tennis Complex
Gainesville, Fla.
Jan. 28, 2011
Doubles
1 – *(11) Lacroix/Slilam (UF) def. Goggin/Konigsfeldt (UCSB) – 8-6 (1:08)
2 – Forget/Recknagel (UCSB) def. Bangoura/Butz (UF) – 9-8(4) (1:06)
3 – Federhofer/van Overbeek (UF) def. Jurgensen/Therp (UCSB) – 8-4 (:38)
Order of Finish: 3-2-1
Singles
1 – (4) Alexandre Lacroix (UF) def. Benjamin Recknagel (UCSB) – 6-3, 6-0 (:48)
2 – Alex Konigsfeldt (UCSB) led (28) Sekou Bangoura Jr. (UF) – 6-3, 3-1 (DNF)
3 – *(52) Bob van Overbeek (UF) def. Mathieu Forget (UCSB) – 6-3, 6-2 (1:03)
4 – Nassim Slilam (UF) def. Taylor Chavez Goggin (UCSB) – 6-2, 6-2 (:57)
5 – Billy Federhofer (UF) led Max Glenn (UCSB) – 6-1, 1-3 (DNF)
6 – Spencer Newman (UF) led Philip Therp (UCSB) – 6-2, 4-3 (DNF)
Order of Finish: 1-4-3
*Clinching court
Gators Picked to Finish Fourth in ALC Preseason Poll
The University of Florida lacrosse team was picked to finish fourth in the American Lacrosse Conference preseason poll, announced Friday afternoon.
Defending ALC Champions and national runners-up the Northwestern Wildcats sit atop of the preseason poll as the league opens up its tenth season in 2011. Northwestern, a unanimous choice at the top ranking in the conference, is followed by Vanderbilt, Penn State, Florida, Johns Hopkins and Ohio State.
Florida had one representative on the ALC preseason All-Conference team in ALC and National Rookie of the Year Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.). Bruns led all freshmen nationally in total points and points per game (4.39), ranking in the top 15 nationally among all players in both categories. She also ranked among the top three freshmen in the nation in goals (48) and assists (31), leading the Gators in both categories. Bruns was also named Rookie of the Year by WomensLax.com and was an ALC Second Team selection.
The ‘Cats also claim four members of the ALC preseason All-Conference team, including 2010 All-Americans Alex Frank, Shannon Smith and Taylor Thornton. They are joined by Colleen Magarity. Johns Hopkins, Ohio State and Penn State each boast two student-athletes on the preseason team. Ohio State’s Annie Carruthers, the 2010 ALC Goalie of the Year, is one of two Buckeyes on the list, along with Alayna Markwordt. Maggie Dunbar and Jen Steadman from Penn State made the list, as did Alyssa Kildate and Candace Rossi from Johns Hopkins, both of whom earned All-Conference honors in 2010. First team All-American Ally Carey represents Vanderbilt.
American Lacrosse Conference Preseason Poll
1. Northwestern
2. Vanderbilt
3. Penn State
4. Florida
5. Johns Hopkins
6. Ohio State
American Lacrosse Conference Preseason Team
Ashley Bruns, Florida^
Ally Carey, Vanderbilt*
Annie Carruthers, Ohio State*
Alex Frank, Northwestern^
Maggie Dunbar, Penn State*
Alyssa Kildare, Johns Hopkins*
Colleen Magarity, Northwestern^
Alayna Markwordt, Ohio State*
Candace Rossi, Johns Hopkins^
Shannon Smith, Northwestern*
Jen Steadman, Penn State
Taylor Thornton, Northwestern^
*2010 ALC First Team
^2010 ALC Second Team
Defending ALC Champions and national runners-up the Northwestern Wildcats sit atop of the preseason poll as the league opens up its tenth season in 2011. Northwestern, a unanimous choice at the top ranking in the conference, is followed by Vanderbilt, Penn State, Florida, Johns Hopkins and Ohio State.
Florida had one representative on the ALC preseason All-Conference team in ALC and National Rookie of the Year Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.). Bruns led all freshmen nationally in total points and points per game (4.39), ranking in the top 15 nationally among all players in both categories. She also ranked among the top three freshmen in the nation in goals (48) and assists (31), leading the Gators in both categories. Bruns was also named Rookie of the Year by WomensLax.com and was an ALC Second Team selection.
The ‘Cats also claim four members of the ALC preseason All-Conference team, including 2010 All-Americans Alex Frank, Shannon Smith and Taylor Thornton. They are joined by Colleen Magarity. Johns Hopkins, Ohio State and Penn State each boast two student-athletes on the preseason team. Ohio State’s Annie Carruthers, the 2010 ALC Goalie of the Year, is one of two Buckeyes on the list, along with Alayna Markwordt. Maggie Dunbar and Jen Steadman from Penn State made the list, as did Alyssa Kildate and Candace Rossi from Johns Hopkins, both of whom earned All-Conference honors in 2010. First team All-American Ally Carey represents Vanderbilt.
American Lacrosse Conference Preseason Poll
1. Northwestern
2. Vanderbilt
3. Penn State
4. Florida
5. Johns Hopkins
6. Ohio State
American Lacrosse Conference Preseason Team
Ashley Bruns, Florida^
Ally Carey, Vanderbilt*
Annie Carruthers, Ohio State*
Alex Frank, Northwestern^
Maggie Dunbar, Penn State*
Alyssa Kildare, Johns Hopkins*
Colleen Magarity, Northwestern^
Alayna Markwordt, Ohio State*
Candace Rossi, Johns Hopkins^
Shannon Smith, Northwestern*
Jen Steadman, Penn State
Taylor Thornton, Northwestern^
*2010 ALC First Team
^2010 ALC Second Team
Track and Field Multi-Events Have Record-Setting Day
Junior Florida heptathlete Gray Horn (Waynesfield, Ohio) broke his own first-day heptathlon school record, currently sitting in first place through four events, and freshman Brittany Harrell (McComb, Miss.) turned in one of the top-15 pentathlon scores in the nation this season in her first collegiate multi-event, late Friday evening at the Texas A&M Challenge presented by Mondo America in the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.
Horn leads the heptathlon competition with a school-record 3,242 points through four events, which broke his previous first-day heptathlon school record of 3,137, recorded at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships. He charted personal bests in two of the four events and was close to his personal best in the other two disciplines. Horn won three of his four events on Friday evening.
Harrell placed fourth turned in a score of 3,731 in her first collegiate pentathlon, which ranks among the top-15 pentathlon tallies in the country so far this season. Her first effort at the collegiate level was within less than 300 points of Florida’s school pentathlon record, set by Dorchelle Webster in 1990.
“I’m very, very pleased with how Gray and Brittany performed today,” Florida head coach Mike Holloway said. “I am really proud of Brittany for coming out in her first pentathlon as a freshman and having one of the top-15 scores in the country. She showed a lot of patience and composure. When things didn’t go her way, she didn’t get frustrated, she just kept fighting.
“It was a big day for Gray with a new first-day school record,” Holloway continued. “I’m really looking forward to seeing him come out tomorrow with that same focus and drive. We’re big on not holding on to today and we understand that tomorrow is a completely different day. I’m also looking forward to seeing the rest of our men and women compete very hard tomorrow.”
Horn opened the day with a personal-best time of 6.98 to place first in the 60-meter hurdles. He followed that up with a first-place finish in the long jump with a mark of 7.26m/23-10. That was close to his personal-best mark of 7.28m/23-10.75 in the long jump, established during the 2009 season.
Horn then charted a massive improvement on his personal best in the shot put, placing sixth in that competition with a mark of 13.41m/44-0. That shattered his previous best mark of 12.49m/40-11.75, which was recorded at the 2009 NCAA Championships. He closed the day by winning the high jump with a leap of 1.98m/6-6. That was just shy of his personal best of 2.02m/6-7.50.
Horn will complete the final three events of the heptathlon (60mH, pole vault and 1,000m) beginning at 12 p.m. ET Saturday.
Harrell began the heptathlon with a sixth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles in a time of 8.88. She followed that up with a fifth-place showing in the high jump (1.70m/5-7), which at the time vaulted her into third place in the overall competition. Harrell then placed sixth in the shot put with a toss of 10.92m/35-10.
Harrell battled through the long jump to finish sixth overall with a leap of 5.28m/17-4, before running a gutsy 800-meter race to close out the event. She placed third in the 800m by clocking a time of 2:28.31.
The second and final day of the Texas A&M Challenge begins at 12 p.m. ET from the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.
For all of the latest information on Florida track and field, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/trackfield or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team’s Twitter account @GZTrackField or www.twitter.com/GZTrackField.
TEXAS A&M CHALLENGE PRESENTED BY MONDO AMERICA
(JANUARY 28-29, 2011: COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS)
(JANUARY 28-29, 2011: COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS)
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2011
Women’s Pentathlon 60m Hurdles – 7 p.m. ET (AUTO: 8.14)
6. Brittany Harrell – 8.88 (935 points)
Men’s Heptathlon 60m – 7:15 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.60)
1. Gray Horn – 6.98 (889 points)
Women’s Pentathlon High Jump – 7:35 p.m. ET (AUTO: 1.85m/6-0.75)
5. Brittany Harrell – 1.70m/5-7 (855 points)
Men’s Heptathlon Long Jump – 7:50 p.m. ET (AUTO: 7.90m/25-11)
1. Gray Horn – 7.26m/23-10 (876 points)
Women’s Pentathlon Shot Put – 8:50 p.m. ET (AUTO: 16.90m/55-5.50)
6. Brittany Harrell – 10.92m/35-10 (590 points)
Men’s Heptathlon Shot Put – 9:05 p.m. ET (AUTO: 19.30m/63-4)
6. Gray Horn – 13.41m/44-0 (692 points)
Women’s Pentathlon Long Jump – 9:40 p.m. ET (AUTO: 6.38m/20-11.25)
6. Brittany Harrell – 5.28m/17-4 (637 points)
Men’s Heptathlon High Jump – 9:55 p.m. ET (AUTO: 2.24m/7-4.25)
1. Gray Horn – 1.98m/6-6 (785 points)
Women’s Pentathlon 800m – 10:05 p.m. ET (AUTO: 2:05.00)
3. Brittany Harrell – 2:28.31 (714 points)
WOMEN’S PENTATHLON FINAL SCORES (FIVE EVENTS)
1. Ryann Krais, Kansas State (4,021)
2. Lucie Ondraschkova, Georgia (3,947)
3. Daphne Fitzpatrick, Texas A&M (3,768)
4. Brittany Harrell, Florida (3,731)
5. Julia Zeiner, Kansas State (3,469)
6. Neal Tisher, Ole Miss (3,431)
7. Katie Grimes, Texas Tech (3,418)
8. Saniel Atkinson, Georgia (3,411)
9. Lauren Garrott, Kansas State (3,379)
10. Santerri Baker, Georgia (3,299)
11. Jenna Alpert, Georgia (3,197)
12. Cenarda Jackson, Kansas State (3,191)
13. Mary Nall, Ole Miss (3,186)
14. Claire McConnell, Oklahoma (3,070)
15. Christiana Coleman, Ole Miss (2,712)
MEN’S HEPTATHLON FIRST-DAY SCORES (THROUGH FOUR EVENTS)
1. Gray Horn, Florida (3,242)
2. Michael Ayers, Georgia (3,153)
3. Chuck Zavala, Texas Tech (3,043)
4. Ben Davies, Georgia (3,005)
5. William Markert, Texas A&M (2,981)
6. Moritz Cleve, Kansas State (2,924)
7. Tommy Barrineau, Georgia (2,878)
8. Nick Green, Texas Tech (2,829)
9. Tomas Kirielius, Kansas State (2,774)
10. David Silverstein, Georgia (2,133)
11. Casey Felton, Texas Tech (1,936)
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